In response to my earlier post on ‘Adding Value’, Bedd Gelert asked how he could find information on the various procedural rules of the House.  I replied that our basic guide is the Companion – or the Companion to the Standing Orders and the Guide to the Proceedings of the House of Lords to give it its full title.  It is the basic source to which we all have recourse and is called in aid when reminding members the correct procedure to be followed.  One does not tell a peer ‘You are out of order’ but rather ‘May I remind the noble Lord that according to the Companion to the Standing Orders….’.

The Companion is variously revised and is published by The Stationery Office.  However, for anyone keenly interested in procedure, it is available online:

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld/ldcomp/ldctso02.htm

It is not as dry as it may sound as there is a lot of fascinating material in it.  It may not be bedtime reading, but for anyone interested in the work of the House it is well worth browsing.